ALOHA! The Poly FAQ: Winter 2011 Edition

[1971DBday]

Great job guitarob!!!! I am all caught up!!! I'm tired of looking at snow and talking about snow...so this was a nice break.

 

[guitarob]

Great job guitarob!!!! I am all caught up!!! I'm tired of looking at snow and talking about snow...so this was a nice break.

Thank you! I'm getting tired of the snow myself. We may just get rid of most of it this week!!!

 

[oceangirl]

I don't know if this has already been addressed elsewhere, but I'm wondering if anyone knows how much it costs to rent a Volcano pool cabana for a half or full day?

 

[mkbmom]

It would be fabulous if you could but it's probably better for all of our waistlines that you couldn't.

Thanks dizneechic! That is what we thought about heading to the beach that it depended upon the season. As for the dole whips being refillable, I agree with you that it is better for them to tell my hubby NO for the sakes of our waistlines.

_______________________________

(me) (DH) :hyper2 (DD11) rincessrincess: (twin DD's 7)

 

[BreezysMom]

I don't know if this has already been addressed elsewhere, but I'm wondering if anyone knows how much it costs to rent a Volcano pool cabana for a half or full day?

Last I heard it is $100 for a half day or $185 for a full day. The time you will occupy the cabana is from 10 AM -2 PM, or 3 PM-7 PM for half day rentals and 10 AM -7 PM for full day.

These will be for Polynesian guests only and can be reserved up to 180 days out by calling 407-WDW-PLAY.

They include...
Two padded chaise lounge chairs and love seat
4 chairs with two foot rests
Plush towels
22 inch LCD television with cable access and optional earphones
DVD/CD/MP3 player
Phone for internal resorts calls
Oscillating Fan
Mini refrigerator stocked with complementary sodas and water
Complementary fruit basket
Private dining and poolside massages are available for an additional cost

 

[Trinityloo]

Last I heard it is $100 for a half day or $185 for a full day. The time you will occupy the cabana is from 10 AM -2 PM, or 3 PM-7 PM for half day rentals and 10 AM -7 PM for full day.

These will be for Polynesian guests only and can be reserved up to 180 days out by calling 407-WDW-PLAY.

They include...
Two padded chaise lounge chairs and love seat
4 chairs with two foot rests
Plush towels
22 inch LCD television with cable access and optional earphones
DVD/CD/MP3 player
Phone for internal resorts calls
Oscillating Fan
Mini refrigerator stocked with complementary sodas and water
Complementary fruit basket
Private dining and poolside massages are available for an additional cost

Wow! That sounds amazing! Does anyone have any pictures of the cabanas? We will be at the Polynesian in just over 2 weeks; I guess it would be toolate to rent one of these at this point?

 

[guitarob]

Wow! That sounds amazing! Does anyone have any pictures of the cabanas? We will be at the Polynesian in just over 2 weeks; I guess it would be toolate to rent one of these at this point?

Everything I try to link to seems to be blocked by the powers that be. Soooo... if you were to Google for "disney polynesian cabana" without the quotes, the first few sites have great photos.

If anyone going soon could get us our own photos to use on the thread, that would be awesome! I'm very weary about grabbing photos from other sites to use.

I have added BreezysMom's information to the main FAQ for future reference.

 

[carlnix30]

Woo hoo cabanas

 

[Lehuaann]

Op, what a gorgeous thread!

My family is Native Hawaiian and I am seriously contemplating switching from 2nt cabins to Poly GV CL for our upcoming stay. DH and I are paying for it so the cost *freaks* me out, but it's my parents 40th. They havent been home to HI in nearly 20 years.

We've been to the resort on 3 separate occasions to dine and have never walked out past the lobby. Will my Hawaiian born parents be happy with this resort? I know it's supposed to represent the "Polynesian" islands, not just HI (Fiji, huh? ). We will prob not do the Luau since we've grown up with the real deal.

What say ye, Poly lovers?!?

I would say that Hawaii is actually very modern with a culture built in. The poly is set in the days of old Hawaii. They could find it charming or they could find it demeaning their culture. I would maybe present it to them.. Like you are thinking about the Poly for you and your family. Since they have all this hawaiian experience they could give you some advice about the resort.

I am Samoan, and my family has lived in Samoa and Hawaii, and we LOVE the Poly!! Of course it's a little kitschy, but, hey, it's Disney! I am also half Native, and our family really enjoys the decor of WL and don't find any of it to be demeaning. The only thing that I think I'll avoid with them is Hoop Dee Doo, as I ran across the "Indian Brave" skit on YouTube...definitely offensive. Take a look at Tikiman's site...it does a pretty good job of representing the resort.

Thank you both for your responses!

PolyndianPrincessJes; Kitschy. That's the perfect word. My dad is the one I'm afraid of saying "Eh brah, what kine place we at?" He's in his 60's and old school.

Also, I forgot about the HDDR skit depicting NAI and completely understand your concern there. I wont take my parents to the Luau, however, plan to take them to Ohana. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they think the food is o-n-o-licious.

 

[TheNewMrsB]

*Sits down, smiles, waves*

 

[pink5683]

Hi everyone!

Thanks guitarob for the great thread! It's gorgeous!

I just sent my dining requests to the Poly IPO this week, since my 180 is next Wednesday. I got a great, specific response from them (not just something canned). It was great to start getting that "personal touch" feel from my first CL trip more than 6 months out!

I am usually a super control freak like many of you, but I am trying to let go of the reins a little bit this time around. We will see how it goes! we aren't trying for any super difficult ADRs so I am not too worried, but I know I will be a little nervous until I hear back from the IPO saying that we got everything.

We are doing the 'Ohana breakfast for DS who told us that he wants to see Pluto and Stitch (even though he has never seen Lilo and Stitch ). Has anyone done it before (I'm sure you have )? Did you enjoy it? We are going for the earliest reservation, since we are early birds, any idea if it will be more or less crowded that early? When we did an early CP breakfast last march, it was great because it was pretty empty when we got there so we got a little bit of extra time with the characters.

 

[guitarob]

Thank you for your compliment!

The 'Ohana breakfast is good, the atmosphere is light and fun, the character interaction is wonderful, and they don't rush you through. We found the food to be a bit mediocre though, it's definitely not on par with an 'Ohana dinner. We didn't run into a huge crowd last September. The place was busy, but not overly so.

 

[cinmell]

Hi everyone!

Thanks guitarob for the great thread! It's gorgeous!

I just sent my dining requests to the Poly IPO this week, since my 180 is next Wednesday. I got a great, specific response from them (not just something canned). It was great to start getting that "personal touch" feel from my first CL trip more than 6 months out!

I am usually a super control freak like many of you, but I am trying to let go of the reins a little bit this time around. We will see how it goes! we aren't trying for any super difficult ADRs so I am not too worried, but I know I will be a little nervous until I hear back from the IPO saying that we got everything.

We are doing the 'Ohana breakfast for DS who told us that he wants to see Pluto and Stitch (even though he has never seen Lilo and Stitch ). Has anyone done it before (I'm sure you have )? Did you enjoy it? We are going for the earliest reservation, since we are early birds, any idea if it will be more or less crowded that early? When we did an early CP breakfast last march, it was great because it was pretty empty when we got there so we got a little bit of extra time with the characters.

Did IPO contact you first or did you initiate contact? My 180 day mark is 2 weeks from yesterday and I'm not sure if I should email IPO or give it another week or so to see if they contact me. I've read that some have been contacted prior to the 180 day mark and others have not.

 

[carlnix30]

Here is some pics of the cabanas from a trip report on Steve's website posted with his permission.

 

[Bolebrothers]

Did IPO contact you first or did you initiate contact? My 180 day mark is 2 weeks from yesterday and I'm not sure if I should email IPO or give it another week or so to see if they contact me. I've read that some have been contacted prior to the 180 day mark and others have not.

Hi there, we actually initiated contact, since we booked online, and do live in a land far,far away. One or the other was the reason they did not initiate first contact.. Since then they have been fabulous they have helped us with special arrangements, spa appointments, Chef´s wine tasting dinners and Fantasmic packages. And since we live where we do, it was real nice to get help via e-mail instead of several long distance calls. And always quick to reply.

 

[Tess]

Did IPO contact you first or did you initiate contact? My 180 day mark is 2 weeks from yesterday and I'm not sure if I should email IPO or give it another week or so to see if they contact me. I've read that some have been contacted prior to the 180 day mark and others have not.

If they haven't contacted you yet, I would go ahead and contact IPO with any requests you may have. There is no point in waiting. Just be sure to include your reservation # and dates in your e-mail and IPO will handle arranging your plans from there. Guests slip through the cracks all the time and better to be proactive than upset IF you happen to be one of those missed guests.

 

[pink5683]

Did IPO contact you first or did you initiate contact? My 180 day mark is 2 weeks from yesterday and I'm not sure if I should email IPO or give it another week or so to see if they contact me. I've read that some have been contacted prior to the 180 day mark and others have not.

They contacted us, and sent us a form to fill out with all of our requests (dining, tours, etc.). I would send an email to the IPO and just say that you haven't heard anything from them yet and you would like to have them make your dining reservations.

 

[Bolebrothers]

And on a total different topic, it was so fun when I discovered WDW new webpages today, all of a sudden i got a great big picture of the poly, and the text "Soon you´ll be here at Disney´s Polynesian Resort"
And Donald stating, 71 days to your vacation.
Kinda geeky and cool, I just had to share the fun

 

[cwooten2006]

My best advice on this is always to expect nothing more than the room you pay for. Now, seriously, I'm not trying to be a downer, but the fact of the matter is that, in reality, upgrades are few and far between.

As I've said before to others, don't over think your trip. It is so easy to get caught up in trying to nail down every little detail (and the disboards are a great place to get carried away from reality very quickly), and that can actually detract from the trip in the case that something doesn't go exactly as planned or hoped for.

I approach every trip thanking the good Lord that I get to stay at the Polynesian again, and leave the rest up to Disney magic.

I hope that you do have a magical and wonderful anniversary. The fact that you'll be celebrating it at the Polynesian and in WDW should pretty much guarantee that. Relax, have a blast, and let the Disney World work it's magic

You're going to have an awesome trip no matter what room you're in

I know you are absolutely correct. I honestly am ecstatic that we can afford to stay here thanks to my AP discount this year. We've talked about going to Disney, maybe to AK (with Savanna view) before for our anniversary, but I think I am going to really like this more. But I could probably camp & enjoy my Disney stay, such is the magic of Disney! But I sure wouldn't turn down whatever comes my way thanks to a little Pixie Dust!

I've never messed with requests during our previous trips, with the exception of requesting a first-floor room because my old-man husband (who is only 35!) has bad knees. That having been said, are there elevators at the Poly???

Also, I have a question regarding dinners. We currently have ressies at Coral Reef for our anniversary because we enjoy the lobster bisque, and I'm always happy with a good steak and he's a seafood person. We have several aquariums in our house, so we feel right at home there too! (And a little jealous!) Does anyone know if they would try to accommodate a request to be seated next to the aquarium?

We're doing La Nouba on Saturday, so we're planning to go to the House of Blues in DTD for dinner. Those will both be new experiences.

Then Sunday - our last day - we decided to go back to Poly to eat, then partake in the Electrical Water Pageant (never seen before) and Wishes from the beach. Currently the only reservations I could get were for Kona (a little before 7). That should give us plenty of time to get to the beach and set up camp for the parade & fireworks right? Any recommendations for beach locations?

I am going to keep checking to see if 'Ohana has availability instead. Poly lovers - which restaurant is better for dinner??? I can't make up my mind. From Kona, the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop and Teriyaki-style New York Strip both sound good. 'Ohana's dinner offerings sound pretty good too though. I've never been to either - but do have breakfasts scheduled for each. I'm looking forward to trying the Tonga Toast!

Thanks for all the help! 2 weeks until my anniversary - 13 days until we check into the Poly! :

And then again - 5 weeks from today - it's POR with the our kids, my mom, & my oldest sister! That's a 9 day stay - yay!

Thanks to both trips, I have an AP this year (hubby too)! Since I'd hate for it to go to waste (ha!), does anyone remember when they generally release AP discounted rates for the week between Christmas & New Years??? I am so pathetic, aren't I? Already wanting to plan ANOTHER trip this year. But hey, I have to check up on my castle. My grandma's nickname for me was "Cinderelly" so I feel entitled! Besides, we went for that week back in 2008/2009 and LOVED it. It's just a whole different experience & I'd love to do it again.

 

[lindsroc]

Our trip is May 10th but we just paid off our hotel this week, does anyone know when we can expect our ME tags? What else should we expect to receive? Thanks!!!!!